The pre-teen version of me desperately wanted the recent Tom and Jerry movie, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña and Colin Jost, to be good. I was looking forward to being transported back to some of the happiest TV viewing moments of my childhood. Instead, what happened with director Tim Story’s film was that I quickly became bored.

My biggest issue with Tom and Jerry is that I didn’t find the writing engaging enough to keep me watching beyond the thirty-minute mark. My disappointment was further compounded by the lack of newness where Tom and Jerry’s antics are concerned. There’s also the fact that my sense of humour has undoubtedly evolved. Still, I don’t regret aborting my viewing session before the end.

As for the animation style, I may have appreciated it more had the background not been real-world New York City. This combination of the updated animation style with the real-world backdrop proved to be too much difference all at once for me. An overload that’s made worse because the story execution is lacking.

The best thing about my brief experience with Tom and Jerry is Jerry’s cuteness. I’ll remember that for a while, as I try not to think too hard about how different the film could have been, had the humans not featured so very prominently. Especially when, for me at least, they were never the main attraction.

This is one you try to watch, only if you absolutely must.

Happy Film Loving,

G